A forum for critical analysis of international issues and developments of particular relevance to the sustainable political and socio-economic development of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs).

12 August 2016

US Republic Party Platform:Territories as 'outermost line of defense against foreign encroachment'; silent on self-determination right

Republican Party Platform 2016

Americans in the Territories

Throughout the history of our nation, the patriotism exhibited by our brothers and sisters in the territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico has often gone unacknowledged.

Year after year, the citizens quietly, without fanfare, send their sons and daughters into the U.S. Armed Services. We honor the extraordinary sacrifices of the men and women of the territories 'who protect our freedom through their service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Geographically, the territories and commonwealths, especially those in the Pacific, are of vital importance to our national security as the outermost line of defense and gateway to
America against potential encroachment by foreign
powers.

We welcome their greater participation in
all aspects of the political process and affirm their
right to seek the full extension of the Constitution
with all the rights and responsibilities that entails.

We recognize the challenges facing all the U.S.
territories in an era of dramatic global economic
change. They need venture capital to retain existing
industries and develop new ones. A stronger private
sector can reduce dependence on public employment
and lead toward self-sufficiency. Their development
of local energy options will be crucial to
reduce dependence on costly imported fuel.

The territories’ economic stability and potential
for growth must be considered in any trade agreements
between the United States and other Pacific
nations. They should be given flexibility or exemption
from laws that increase costs for their populations,
such as the minimum wage and the Jones Act
concerning shipping. All unreasonable impediments
to their prosperity should be removed, including unreasonable
U.S. customs practices.

Territories such
as American Samoa should be able to properly develop
their resources, including fishing, when jobs
and the economy depend on it.
We call for the appointment of a commonwealth
and territories advisory committee consisting
of representatives from all five U.S. territories.
The committee will be integrated into the president’s
transition team and be tasked with performing
a holistic review of all federal regulations
affecting the territories and commonwealths.

We
further call for the appointment of a Special Assistant
to the President responsible for day-to-day
interaction with the territories and commonwealths.
This position will be the direct connection for the
Office of Insular Affairs, the citizens of the territories
and commonwealths, and the White House.

The Territory of Puerto Rico

We support the right of the United States
citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union
as a fully sovereign state. We further recognize the
historic significance of the 2012 local referendum in
which a 54 percent majority voted to end Puerto
Rico’s current status as a U.S. territory, and 61
percent chose statehood over options for sovereign
nationhood.

We support the federally sponsored
political status referendum authorized and funded
by an Act of Congress in 2014 to ascertain the
aspirations of the people of Puerto Rico.Once the
2012 local vote for statehood is ratified, Congress
should approve an enabling act with terms for
Puerto Rico’s future admission as the 51st state of
the Union.

Preserving the District of Columbia

The nation’s capital city is a special responsibility
of the federal government because it belongs
both to its residents and to all Americans, millions of
whom visit it every year. Congressional Republicans
have fostered homeownership and open access to
higher education for Washington residents.

Against
the opposition of the current President and leaders
of the Democratic Party, they have established
and expanded the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship
Program, through which thousands of low-income
children have been able to attend a school of their
choice and receive a quality education.
Republicans have been in the forefront of
combating chronic corruption among the city’s
top Democratic officials.

We call for congressional
action to enforce the spirit of the Home Rule
Act, assuring minority representation on the City
Council. That council, backed by the current mayor,
is attempting to seize from the Congress its appropriating
power over all funding for the District.
The illegality of their action mirrors the unacceptable
spike in violent crime and murders currently
afflicting the city. We expect Congress to assert, by
whatever means necessary, its constitutional prerogatives
regarding the District.

Since the Supreme Court’s decisions affirming
the Second Amendment rights of its citizens, city
officials have engaged in a campaign of massive
resistance by denying virtually all applications for
gun ownership.

The Republican Congress should
be prepared, upon the inauguration of a Republican
president, to enact legislation allowing law-abiding
Washingtonians to own and carry firearms.
Statehood for the District can be advanced
only by a constitutional amendment. Any other approach
would be invalid. A statehood amendment
was soundly rejected by the states when last proposed
in 1976 and should not be revived.

*****

Republican Party Platform 2012

Preserving the District of Columbia

The nation’s capital city, a special responsibility
of the federal government, belongs both to its residents
and to all Americans, millions of whom visit it
every year. Congressional Republicans have
taken the lead in efforts to foster homeownership and
open access to higher education for Washington residents.
Against the opposition of the current President
and leaders of the Democratic Party, they have
fought to establish, and now to expand, the D.C.
Opportunity Scholarship Program, through which
thousands of low-income children have been able to
attend a school of their choice and receive a quality
education.

D.C.’s Republicans have been in the forefront of
exposing and combating the chronic corruption
among the city’s top Democratic officials. We join
their call for a non-partisan elected Attorney
General to clean up the city’s political culture and for
congressional action to enforce the spirit of the Home
Rule Act assuring minority representation on the
City Council.

After decades of inept one-party rule,
the city’s structural deficit demands congressional
attention.
As the center of our government, the District
contains many potential targets for terrorist attacks.
Federal security agencies should work closely with
local officials and regional administrations like the
Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority.

A
top priority must be ensuring that all public transportation,
especially Metro rails, is functioning in the
event of an emergency evacuation. Also, to ensure
protection of the fundamental right to keep and bear
arms, we call on the governing authority to pass laws
consistent with the Supreme Court’s decisions in the
District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v.
Chicago cases, which upheld the fundamental right to
keep and bear arms for self-defense.
We oppose statehood for the District of Columbia.

Honoring and Supporting
Americans in the Territories

We honor the extraordinary sacrifices of the men
and women of the territories who protect our freedom
through their service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
We welcome their greater participation in all aspects
of the political process and affirm their right to seek
the full extension of the Constitution, with all the
rights and responsibilities it entails.
U.S. territories face serious economic challenges
as they struggle to retain existing industries and develop
new ones. Development of local energy options
is crucial to reduce their dependence on imported fuel
and promote economic stability.

The Pacific territories
should have flexibility to determine the minimum
wage, which has seriously restricted progress in the
private sector. A stronger private sector can raise
wages, reduce dependence on public sector employment,
and lead toward local self-sufficiency. All unreasonable
economic impediments must be removed,
including unreasonable U.S. customs practices.

We support the right of the United States citizens
of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a
fully sovereign state if they freely so determine.We
recognize that Congress has the final authority to define
the constitutionally valid options for Puerto Rico
to achieve a permanent non-territorial status with
government by consent and full enfranchisement. As
long as Puerto Rico is not a State, however, the will
of its people regarding their political status should
be ascertained by means of a general right of referendum
or specific referenda sponsored by the U.S.
government.

*****

Republican Party Platform 2008

Working with Americans in the Territories

We appreciate the extraordinary sacrifices the men and women of the territories are making to protect our freedom through their service in the U.S. Armed Forces. We welcome greater participation in all aspects of the political process by Americans residing in Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Northern Marianas, and Puerto Rico. We affirm their right to seek the full extension of the Constitution, with all the political rights and responsibilities it entails.

We recognize the valuable contributions made by the people of the United States Virgin Islands to the common welfare of the nation, including national defense, and their contributions to the federal treasury in the form of federal excise taxes paid on products produced in the territory.

We support the Native American Samoans' efforts to protect their right to self-government and to preserve their culture and land-tenure system, which fosters self-reliance and strong extended-family values. We support increased local self-government for the United States citizens of the Virgin Islands, and closer cooperation between the local and federal governments to promote private sector-led development and self-sufficiency. We recognize that Guam is a strategically vital U.S. territory, an American fortress in the western Pacific.

We affirm our support for the patriotic U.S. citizens of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to achieve greater self-government, an improved federal territorial relationship, new economic development strategies, a strong health care system that meets their needs, and continued political self-determination. We support a review to determine the appropriate eligibility of territories as well as states for Supplemental Security Income and other federal programs.

We support the right of the United States citizens of Puerto Rico to be admitted to the Union as a fully sovereign state after they freely so determine. We recognize that Congress has the final authority to define the constitutionally valid options for Puerto Rico to achieve a permanent non-territorial status with government by consent and full enfranchisement. As long as Puerto Rico is not a state, however, the will of its people regarding their political status should be ascertained by means of a general right of referendum or specific referenda sponsored by the U.S. government.

Preserving the District of Columbia

The nation's capital is a special responsibility of the federal government. Yet some of the worst performing schools in the country are mere blocks from the Department of Education, and some of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in the country are blocks from the Department of Justice. Washington should be made a model city.

Two major Republican initiatives — a first-time D.C. homebuyers credit and a landmark school choice initiative — have pointed the way toward a civic resurgence, and a third piece of GOP legislation now guarantees young D.C. residents significant assistance in affording higher education. Because Washington's buildings and monuments may be top targets of terrorist groups, the federal government must work closely with local officials to improve security without burdening local residents.

We call on the District of Columbia city council to pass laws consistent with the Supreme Court's decision in the Heller case. We honor the contributions of the residents of the District of Columbia, especially those who are serving honorably, or have served, in our Armed Forces.